Outtake: Racing Into Knighthood
by Count Mallet
Summary: AU Crossover. A newly-knighted Ahsoka Tano is sent on a mission with Master Cara to investigate a possible Sith threat. When Ahsoka chooses to enter the vehicle race, what will she think of the individuals wearing weird masks & driving unusual vehicles? Rated Teen for suggestive banter & cartoon violence. Outtake from my "Ahsoka's Legacy" series. [S30-F23-M10-X2]
1. A New Threat

_**Racing Into Knighthood.**_

A _Star Wars: The Clone Wars / M.A.S.K. _crossover.

By Count Mallet.

* * *

**Chapter One**

**A New Threat**

* * *

**Time Frame:** Earth year 2012 AD / GFFA year 18 BBY.

* * *

Matt Trakker sat down for a rare break. It seemed like there were no spare moments now that MASK and VENOM now raced each other in their vehicles.

The solitude was short-lived, however. Duane Kennedy, the president of the Peaceful Nations Alliance (PNA), quickly ran up to Matt.

"Matt! Matt! We got another one," Duane said frantically. He handed Matt an envelope.

Matt examined the envelope. It was addressed to the PNA but had no return address. The postmark was from a nearby city. However, the letter could have been sent from anywhere in the suburban area, so it wasn't much of a clue. Matt decided to remove the letter to see what it said. He read it silently to himself:

"This is your last warning. Cancel the race now, or you shall see the power of the Dark Side reveal itself."

Matt turned to Duane. "Short, but very threatening," he said.

"Matt, we can't cancel the Cactus Canyon Challenge now. Racers are slowly arriving for check-in and the tribes are already settled in and preparing for their festivities," Duane replied. The race was sponsored by a local Native American tribe. In addition, they invited nearby Navajo and Apache tribes to be part of the post-race events.

"This certainly doesn't sound like something Miles would do," Matt said. "Let me see if the MASK computer can reveal any clues," he added. Matt opened a small briefcase revealing a laptop computer and a portable document scanner.

"It's amazing how much technology has improved over the years," Duane said.

"Indeed," Matt answered as he powered up the laptop. After it booted up, he launched an application and scanned the letter.

"Interface with the MASK computer and identify any fingerprints on this document," Matt commanded.

"Analysis complete. Two sets of fingerprints identified. First set belongs to Duane Kennedy, president of the PNA. Second set belongs to Matt Trakker, leader of MASK," a synthesized female voice replied.

"That wasn't too helpful," Duane said, conceding defeat.

"We're dealing with a pro, but I'm not ready to give up yet," Matt replied before continuing, "Computer, analyze the phrase 'dark side.' Identify possible connections to the Cactus Canyon Challenge or my current location."

Matt watched as the computer processed his latest request. The computer chirped and reported the results.

"The phrase 'dark side' is used by enemies of the Jedi, also known as the Sith," the computer replied.

"Elaborate," Matt said.

"The Jedi and the Sith possess an unknown type of power known as the Force. The Sith use their powers for evil, also know as the Dark Side."

"Identify any Jedi and the immediate area," Matt stated. Perhaps someone more familiar with this type of evil would be able to provide further insight.

"At present time, there are no Jedi known in this area. Approximately one year ago, Jedi attempted to establish an order in the western US, but it was unsuccessful," the voice reported.

"Why was the mission unsuccessful?"

After a couple of minutes, the display showed a large "X."

"Unable to comply. The Jedi computer holding this information is secured."

Matt sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. Then again, the MASK computer was also tightly-secured. He did have one last idea, though.

"Computer, identify contact information of the Jedi Order involved in that mission," Matt said. He was surprised to see the computer identify a location over 1500 miles away.

"Now why would Jedi in that part of the country come out west? Maybe they can help us," Matt replied in reponse to the pinpointed location.

"If you don't mind, Matt, let me talk to them. They might be more receptive to the president of the PNA instead of an unknown individual," Duane suggested.

Matt nodded. "I agree. Computer, initiate communication with this Jedi Order," Matt requested.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Jedi Order, the afternoon was mostly quiet. However, the Grand Master had been summoned by his communications director. Something seemed to trouble her, and she rarely lost her calm demeanor.

"Ashley, what's going on? I've never heard you sound so concerned before," he said.

"Master, someone tried to hack into our network. but the connection was untraceable. Do you think Darth Stinger is up to something?" Ashley asked nervously.

"I don't think so. She's cunning, but not too savvy with technical matters. You might want to shore up our security protocols just to be safe," he told her.

"Yes, Master," Ashley replied.

The Grand Master left to return to his office. With the school year fast-approaching in the coming week, he had to prepare for the coming year's Jedi and academic instruction. He had just reached his office when his commlink chimed again.

"Master, I'm sorry to bother you again, but you're needed in the meeting chamber. A Mr. Kennedy from the PNA is asking to talk to you," Knight Ashley said.

"Hmm. Neither the name nor the organization is familiar. But, I'm on my way," he said.

In the meeting chamber, he was joined by Master Cal and Knight Rachel.

As the trio sat, the view screen activated and revealed Duane's face.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Duane Kennedy from the Peaceful Nations Alliance. We have received two threatening letters as we prepare for one of our events. An analysis of the most-recent letter pointed us in your direction," Duane said.

The Grand Master looked at his colleagues. They both appeared as uncertain as he was.

"And what makes you think we would get involved?" the Grand Master replied.

"First, the letter makes reference to the Dark Side, which appears to be the mark of your evil counterparts. Also, we learned you have been in this area once before. So, it seemed logical to ask for your assistance since you already have some familiarity with the area," Duane answered.

"Hold on for a moment," the Grand Master replied before he muted the view screen. He then turned to his colleagues.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"Master, isn't this that same area where our attempt to help establish a Jedi Order was rejected? I know you weren't too pleased with their prejudiced attitudes at the time," Knight Rachel said.

"But these aren't Jedi. There's no way they could successfully defend themselves against the Sith. And unlike our previous mission, I have a feeling that this guy actually wants our help," Master Cal replied.

"I agree. But given that the two most readily-available Jedi for this mission is the same pair we sent before, we need to approach this mission carefully," the Grand Master stated.

"Are you really going to send Ahsoka back there?" Knight Rachel asked in disbelief.

"She **is** newly knighted. This would be a good first mission for her. That way, we can see how she conducts herself as the lead Jedi of this mission. This time, though, I'll advise Duane what to expect so there are no issues or surprises," the Grand Master replied. He then activated the sound again.

"Duane, we will be sending two Jedi to help you investigate this threat. If there are Sith present, they can handle the threat. I will have them work with your existing security staff. But, please know that one of the Jedi on this mission will look a bit unusual. Be assured, though, she is more than competent," he said.

"Thank you. I look forward to welcoming them. I can only hope our race goes off without a hitch tomorrow," Duane replied.

"Can you transmit any information about this race to us? That way, my Jedi can be better prepared for the mission. You can use our existing link for the transmission," the Grand Master stated.

"Of course," Duane replied. He turned his head to his side. "Matt, give them the information," he said. He then turned back to face the screen, adding, "You should be receiving it now."

"Very good. I will have my Jedi assemble and leave as soon as possible since time appears to be of the essence," the Grand Master told Duane.

As the transmission ended, the Grand Master contacted Knight Ashley. "Ashley, send the information you just received to me and summon Cara and Ahsoka to the meeting chamber," he told her.

"Yes, Master," she replied.

* * *

Cara sat cross-legged in a meditation chamber when her commlink chimed.

"Master Cara, you're needed in the meeting chamber for a mission," Knight Ashley stated.

"I'm on my way!," Cara replied as she stood up and left the chamber.

Elsewhere, Ahsoka was shadow sparring in another chamber. She fiercely jabbed at the air with a training shoto. At the same time, she used the training saber in her other hand to strike across an invisible opponent. She was startled to hear her commlink chime. She quickly extinguished her training sabers and threw them back into a storage bin.

"Yes?" Ahsoka asked.

"Knight Ahsoka, you've been summoned to the meeting chamber for a mission," Knight Ashley said.

"I'll be there," Ahsoka answered. She quickly dashed out of the chamber before she realized she better slow down.

Shortly, the women encountered each other outside the meeting chamber.

"Master, what are you doing here?" Ahsoka asked curiously.

"The same thing as you, I believe, my former padawan" Cara replied.

"It would be weird to be on a mission with you again now that I'm a Jedi," Ahsoka said.

"I'm sure the Grand Master has his reasons for pairing us again," Cara answered. They both entered the chamber together.

"Ladies, come on in. You'll be heading down to Rio Rancho, New Mexico, for your next mission," the Grand Master said.

Ahsoka's head-tails twitched in horror.

"Master, no offense, but isn't that in the same area as that mission where I was rudely insulted? Why would you send me back there?" Ahsoka asked.

"Actually, that mission was in another western state," Master Cal reminded Ahsoka. "And this time, your presence is wanted. Also, our contact has been advised about your pending arrival and to not judge you on appearance alone," he added.

"Ahsoka, we also want you to be the lead contact on this mission – your first as a Jedi Knight. This will be your chance to show us how much you've learned in your time here on Earth. Master Cara will assist you and provide moral support if you need it," the Grand Master said.

Cara seemed surprised at the arrangements as she was the senior Jedi, but she accepted her role. "When do we leave?" she asked.

"You may want to grab something to eat in the dining hall before leaving. But they need you as soon as possible because their events start tomorrow," the Grand Master replied.

"We're on our way," Cara said before she realized she wasn't in charge this time. "Sorry," she stated as she blushed.

"It's okay. May the Force be with both of you," Knight Rachel replied.

Cara and Ahsoka both bowed and left the meeting chamber.

"I hope you know what you're doing. Another failed mission could be devastating to Knight Ahsoka," Master Cal said.

"We have to show confidence and trust in her abilities. She **is** a very skilled Jedi. We can't treat her with kid gloves all the time simply because she's the only Togruta on Earth," the Grand Master said.

"Agreed, we must trust the will of the Force. Otherwise, we have nothing," Knight Rachel told her colleagues.

* * *

After a quick meal in the dining hall, Ahsoka and Cara left for Rio Rancho. Ahsoka was reviewing her datapad for details about the upcoming mission.

"Hmm, there is some sort of race tomorrow. Interesting," Ahsoka said out loud.

"Why is that?" Cara asked.

"When I was a padawan in my home galaxy, I went undercover as a pod racer. I think I'll do that again here," Ahsoka replied.

"What's a pod race? And do you think that's wise to do as the lead Jedi?" Cara questioned.

"It was a race where we used vehicles that hovered off the ground and raced at high speeds," Ahsoka explained. "And, since I've raced before, I think it might be better for me to do it again. After all, nothing would stop a Sith from sabotaging the race in that manner."

"I suppose you have a point. But you're only 19 and only recently finished your driving lessons here," Cara reminded Ahsoka.

Ahsoka sighed. "That's only because the rules are different here. I've been driving vehicles since I was 14 standard years old. I know what I'm doing," she answered emphatically.

"Easy, Ahsoka, we'll see what happens when we arrive there," Cara replied.

Ahsoka nodded and closed her eyes. Meditation wasn't her favorite Jedi activity, but she wanted to clear her mind. She wanted to make a good impression with this mission and be prepared for a possible encounter with a Sith.

* * *

Meanwhile, Miles and Maximus Mayhem drove their vehicle, Buzzard, through the back roads of the southwest.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Miles?" Max asked tentatively.

"Of course it is, Maxie. The natives claim the liquid contained inside the albino cactus can be used for anything. We can use it to make a super virus **and** its antidote. We can make millions that way! It will be something to infect entire nations and then blackmail them for the only cure," Miles replied triumphantly.

"But how do we find such a cactus? Gorey should have helped us on this mission," Max asked.

Miles groaned at the mention of VENOM's butt-kissing toady. "First, a cactus is organic, so there's no way to specifically scan for an albino one. More importantly, Goon is unavailable. That fool got me so mad before we left, I told him to go spit shine Outlaw. And the ignoramus actually started doing it with a smile on his face! No matter. Anything that keeps him from annoying me is a good thing," he told his twin brother.

"You need to treat our agents better, Miles," Max answered.

"Max, we're VENOM agents, not a feel-good support group! Anyways, while our agents are busy racing, we'll find the cactus. Not even Trakker will know we're up to no good because we won't even attend the race," Miles replied.

"We'll stay off their radar. That's so brilliant," Max said.

"Of course it is, it's my idea!" Miles replied somewhat irritated.

With that, the brothers continued their trek. ▄

* * *

**Disclaimers:** Walt Disney Company owns all Star Wars concepts & characters. Kenner and D.I.C. Enterprises, Inc. appear to own M.A.S.K. Concepts & characters. Reproduction of any part of this story without the author's permission is forbidden by the FFn terms of service.


	2. Preparations

**Chapter Two**

**Preparations**

* * *

Cara landed the Jedi transport outside of the race's staging area. She and Ahsoka were set to disembark.

"Nervous?" Cara asked.

"Not really," Ahsoka admitted. "I'd like to think this mission will go well," she added.

"Let's hope. But do know I'm here to support you if you need it."

Ahsoka nodded. She then took a deep breath and walked as confidently as possible down the gangway.

Meanwhile, Matt and Duane waited to greet their guests.

"Matt, look at the one closest to us. It looks like she has points coming out of her head," Duane said.

"Perhaps she's the unusual one we were told about. Let's make sure we greet her appropriately," Matt replied.

"Indeed."

Both Matt and Duane looked curious as Ahsoka and Cara walked towards them. Ahsoka's orange skin and white face markings were surprising. However, they couldn't help but look in awe at the blue and white striped head-tails and montrals sprouting out of her head.

Ahsoka did her best to ignore the curiosity she sensed. As the lead Jedi, she wanted to make a good impression. To her, it didn't matter that this was her first mission as a Jedi Knight. She was eager to show her ability to lead a successful mission.

"Gentlemen, I'm Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Knight. This is my partner, Master Cara. We were sent here to investigate your possible Sith threat," Ahsoka stated.

Duane nodded. "Thanks for coming. I'm Duane Kennedy, president of the Peaceful Nations Alliance. This is Matt Trakker, the leader of MASK," he replied.

"What's MASK?" Cara asked as the group exchanged handshakes.

"We used to battle against evil plots by a group called VENOM, but now we race each other in an attempt to thwart each other," Matt explained.

"Fascinating," Cara answered in awe.

"If you come with us, I'll introduce you to some of the MASK agents taking part in tomorrow's race," Matt said.

Ahsoka nodded. "Lead the way," she said.

As Matt and Duane led their Jedi colleagues to the garage, some of the drivers noticed Ahsoka's unusual appearance. However, they were more interested in preparing their vehicles for the race. So, they paid little attention to the Togruta Jedi.

"Hey, Matt, who's this?" Buddy asked.

"These are Ahsoka and Cara. They will be helping with some of the security tomorrow. Ladies, this is Buddy 'Clutch' Hawks – our mechanic extraordinaire," Matt said.

Buddy laughed. "You always make me sound so important. It's going to be weird not racing tomorrow. But I imagine I'll have my hands full towing or servicing all the other drivers," he replied.

"You're not going to charge them full price, I hope?"

"No. But the tribes decided that I did deserve a little something, so they promised me a small stipend for my services. But I plan to donate half of it back to their charity."

"I'm sure they'll appreciate it, Clutch. Over here, we have our racers for tomorrow: Brad Turner, Calhoun Burns, and Ali Bombay," Matt told the Jedi.

Ali turned to face the group. "Ashoka? Are you from India too? There is a woman from my village of Kandukur named that," he asked curiously with his accented voice.

"Actually, my name is Ah-soka," Ahsoka replied, correctly accenting her name. "And I'm not from India, I'm from Shili," she added.

"Oh, Chile. Have you ever been to Santiago? I hear it's a lovely city."

Ahsoka shook her head. "No, not Chile, the planet Shili. I … come from another galaxy," she replied with slight nervousness.

"I'm beginning to regret this conversation," Ali admitted as he blushed slightly.

Cara, meanwhile, looked at Brad curiously.

"Were you ever in a rock band?" she asked.

"As a matter of fact, I was. I don't perform much now that I'm racing full-time, but I still like to jam now and then," Brad replied.

"You're not going to believe this, but I grew up on your album, _Soaring Swiftness._"

"No kidding. Well, I guess it's good to meet a fan. No autographs, please – unless I win tomorrow's race," Brad quipped.

Calhoun briefly nodded to his female guests. "Ladies, I hate to cut this short, but I need to make sure Raven is ready for tomorrow. Though, I'm still not sure why Matt asked for an amphibious vehicle in the middle of the desert," he said.

"The race crosses the Rio Grande twice. If VENOM tries to sabotage those crossings, we need a vehicle that can navigate the river – just in case," Matt told him.

"I guess that makes sense. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, ladies. If I win, maybe I'll invite you to join me with a celebratory hot mint julep," Calhoun said as he gave the ladies one last nod.

"I'm planning to enter the race myself so I can make sure the Sith don't interfere with it," Ahsoka said.

Matt and Duane appeared shocked at the announcement, but their attention quickly shifted to the trailer that entered the garage and parked close to the group.

"Hey, Matt, is this the new prototype?" Buddy called out.

"It sure is. We were able to get it ready for today, thanks to one of my benefactors. He put up the cash we needed for some of the key components," Matt said.

"That's good to hear," Buddy said as he lowered the race car down from the trailer. "Say, does this vehicle have a code name yet?" he asked.

"Not yet. It's too early to consider it Goliath-3. But one of the benefactors called it 'Oz' because the number 20 looks like the letters 'O' and 'Z' upside down."

"I don't know, Matt. If you call it that, I'm going to expect munchkins to pilot it or something," Buddy joked. Now, a woman joined the group.

"Gloria! What a pleasant surprise. I didn't think you were part of the racing team," Buddy said.

Gloria gave Buddy a quick hug. "It's good to see you again, too, Clutch. I'm still racing on my professional circuit. But when Matt asked me to test drive a new prototype vehicle and offer my critique, I certainly couldn't say no, could I?" she asked in reply.

"That makes sense. It's good to have you back and racing with us, Gloria. Maybe you'll win."

"Actually, I won't be racing officially. Because I'm test driving a new vehicle, I'll be driving it after both divisions begin their races. That way, I won't be interrupted or have to deal with VENOM."

"Gloria is right. As of now, I don't even know if the vehicle has transformation capability or weapons," Matt interjected.

Gloria looked inside the cockpit. "Hmm, there is a lever for defense mode – and a couple of fire buttons," she noted.

"Still, we can't take any chances. The last thing we need is VENOM tangling with a defenseless vehicle," Matt replied firmly.

* * *

Prior to the arrival of the new prototype vehicle, Lester Sludge left the garage as stealthily as he could. As soon as he and his ATV, Iguana, were far enough away, he contacted Miles Mayhem.

"Hey, boss, the MASK chumps are all here. But that's not all," he reported.

"Tell me what else, Lester," Miles replied through their radio contact.

"There's some weird lady with them. I didn't get a close look, but she's got like an orange suntan and tattoos all over her face. I think her name is Tano or something," Lester answered.

"It's probably just some Indian princess, Sludge. Never mind ogling the ladies. Just be ready to support Vanessa, Mad Dog, and Bird Man tomorrow," Miles replied.

"Sure thing, boss man. I'll do my part to recycle and do lots of shredding," he said before laughing hysterically. He then took off on Iguana.

* * *

Later that evening, Ahsoka and Cara joined the MASK agents for dinner. Shortly, Duane joined them.

"Alex and Dusty won't be here for dinner. Their flight was delayed by two hours. They'll prepare for the race once they arrive," he told Matt.

"Very good. Thankfully, Nevada made sure that The Collector and Billboard Blast were set up in strategic locations," Matt replied.

"Oh, and Ace radioed in. He will be here first thing in the morning. He asked if the fish were biting anywhere," Duane added.

Matt chuckled. "Ace does enjoy his leisure time. Let's hope we can arrange for him to get some," he stated.

Cara, meanwhile, looked over at Ahsoka.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"It's just that I'm still not used to eating salads," Ahsoka replied.

"Well, eat what you can. Our hosts put on a nice spread, so let's not disappoint them," Cara reminded her former padawan.

Ahsoka nodded as she decided to eat a slice of bread instead.

"Ahsoka, are you really going to race tomorrow?" Duane asked.

Ahsoka nodded. "Why do I sense that you wish I wouldn't?" she responded curiously.

"For one thing, VENOM will be racing. They are far too dangerous. In fact, most civilian racers don't even finish a race VENOM participates in because of their gamesmanship," Ali told her.

"I'm not intimidated," Ahsoka replied confidently.

"Ali is right. They have some ruthless brutes racing – and Vanessa, too," Brad interjected.

"I've raced before, I'll be fine," Ahsoka answered as calmly as she could.

"I don't know how to say this, so don't take it the wrong way. I wouldn't put it past VENOM to target you or knock you out of the race early just because you look so different," Calhoun said.

Cara sensed Ahsoka's growing irritation, but said nothing. She wanted to see how her former padawan would handle the conversation.

"You don't have to treat me so daintily. I once entered a race when I was 14. Sure, my pod racer crashed, but it was sabotaged. But since there are no Separatists on Earth, that won't happen. Trust me when I say I know what I'm doing," Ahsoka said slightly emphatically.

"If you really think you should do it for security purposes, we can't stop you. But you deserve to know the risks and what you'll be facing," Matt reminded her.

Ahsoka nodded. "I appreciate it. But also know that a Sith could easily neutralize you or these VENOM racers a lot easier than you think. Master Cara and I are the only ones who can stand up to such a threat," she told him.

"Understood. But I guess the only question now is which race will you compete in – the two-wheeled race or the four-wheeled race?" Matt asked.

Ahsoka swallowed a slice of meat before replying. "I think the two-wheeled race will be better for me. Those vehicles closely resemble the vehicles I'm most familiar with," she answered.

"I may be biased, but I think you made a good choice," Ali said.

"That means you'll be racing with Ali and VENOM's Floyd 'Bird Man' Malloy. He has aerial assault capabilities with his touring bike, Vulture," Matt told Ahsoka.

"Thanks for the warning," Ahsoka replied plainly.

"If you want, I'll pick out a decent bike, Ahsoka. Don't you worry," Buddy promised.

Ahsoka nodded and the group finished their dinner and conversation.

"Let me show you to your quarters, ladies. You, too, Gloria," Duane said.

"Aww, shucks. So much for being one of the guys," Gloria deadpanned.

Ahsoka looked over the other female racer. She was dressed for the occasion in what appeared to be a floor-length blue dress. Judging from the slight ripples in her montrals, Ahsoka guessed she also wore heeled shoes. She then looked at herself. She wondered if her own Jedi apparel was out-of-place. Still, she felt her maroon, scoop-neck tank top with a matching skirt, her sash, boots, and leggings were just as appropriate. Fortunately, her Jedi robes concealed her lightsabers. She wasn't sure how she'd explain those to the group.

"Gloria, I have a question. Is there someplace where I can get something to wear that's appropriate for the race?" Ahsoka asked.

"Sure. Right next to the garage, you can find what you're looking for," Gloria replied happily.

"Thanks. Oh, and good luck tomorrow," Ahsoka said.

"You, too," Gloria replied before entering her room for the night.

Duane then showed the Jedi a room across the hall.

"Here you go. Rest up and I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

Cara bowed and turned to Ahsoka. It was up to her to respond as the mission's lead.

"Thanks. We'll be ready," Ahsoka promised.

As Ahsoka and Cara prepared for the night, they discussed the mission some more.

"I haven't sensed anything dark, Ahsoka," Cara said.

"Me either. But Sith can easily mask their presence," Ahsoka replied.

"We'll have to remain vigilant. I'll admit I'm still not sure about you racing tomorrow, my former padawan. But for now, I trust your judgment," Cara stated.

Ahsoka nodded. "I'm glad **somebody** does," she admitted.

"Just stay attuned to your surroundings. You'll be fine," Cara said.

Ahsoka nodded. "Good night, master," she said before she climbed into her bed.

"Good night, Ahsoka," Cara replied. She sat on her bed to meditate. She wanted her mind clear for the next day's events. ▄

* * *

**Disclaimers:** Walt Disney Company owns all Star Wars characters & concepts. Kenner and D.I.C. Enterprises, Inc. appear to own M.A.S.K. characters & concepts.


	3. The Cactus Canyon Challenge, Part 1

**Chapter Three**

**The Cactus Canyon Challenge, Part 1**

* * *

Cara woke up, stretched, and rolled over. She wasn't expecting Ahsoka to be awake already.

"Why are you up so early?" she asked.

"I got my racing outfit and goggles, master," she replied.

Cara looked at her former apprentice. Ahsoka's yellow outfit was rather form-fitting and had a red stripe on each side.

"Don't you think that's a little too tight?" Cara asked.

"It was the only one I could find that fit me comfortably," Ahsoka replied. She continued to fidget with the zipper in back. "Can you get this for me?" she finally asked.

Cara nodded and stood behind Ahsoka. As she zipped the zipper up all the way, she asked Ahsoka, "Did you forget something?"

"I don't think so," Ahsoka replied. Suddenly, she realized what Cara meant.

"Master! It's orange like my skin. It blends in almost perfectly," she exclaimed. Her head-tail stripes turned navy blue in embarrassment.

"Oh, okay," Cara asked, her own cheeks visibly flushed.

"We better get going. I have a race to prepare for, and you have security to provide," Ahsoka stated.

* * *

Miles Mayhem and his brother closed in on the pueblo.

"Alright, Maxie. We're almost here. Bring up the map. One wrong turn and we'll never find that cactus," Miles said.

"How will we find it? There's nothing **but** cactus and tumbleweeds out here," Max replied.

"I've localized a small area. It shouldn't be hard to find. The tribe keeps to themselves and everyone will be busy with the race."

"And the albino cactus and its juice will soon be ours!" Max stated confidently

* * *

"And that's how you drive your motorcycle, Ahsoka. Pretty simple, huh?" Buddy said.

Ahsoka nodded. "Seems easy enough. Thanks," she then sat down in the seat.

Cara stood alongside the motorcycle. "I guess this is it for now. Ahsoka, be careful. And, may the Force be with you,"

"Thanks," Ahsoka replied. She was set to lower her goggles over her eyes, but Duane came running up to her.

"Stop! You can't go outside yet! Hold on," he exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" Ahsoka asked. She wasn't sure what the problem was.

"All racers have to wear a helmet. I have one here for you."

Ahsoka looked at the plain white helmet. She resisted the urge to wrinkle her nose.

"I can't wear that. There's no room for my montrals. They'll get squished and it will hurt them," she said.

"I'm sorry but one of the few rules we have is that all drivers must wear helmets," Duane insisted.

"Hey master. Let him hold the helmet above my head. That way, you can mark where my montrals would come out. I have an idea," Ahsoka said.

The two did that and Ahsoka then took the helmet. She grabbed and ignited her shoto. Then, she used it to poke holes on either side of the helmet. She then extinguished her shoto and reattached it to her belt.

"Let's hope this works," she said. She slowly lowered the helmet onto her head. The holes were a bit bigger than she wanted, but her montrals now protruded comfortably from the helmet.

"Will this do?" she asked Duane.

Duane still had a shocked look on his face. He didn't know what Ahsoka just did to punch holes into the helmet. Still, he was happy to see her complying with the racing regulations.

"It's a bit unorthodox, but it'll do," he conceded.

* * *

As the four-wheeled race contestants assembled, VENOM's Vanessa Warfield and Bruno "Mad Dog" Sheppard plotted strategy.

"Why do **I** have to work with **you** again?" Bruno asked in disgust.

"Because that's what the mission requires. And this time, there's two MASK racers," Vanessa calmly replied.

Bruno clenched his hand into a fist and flexed his muscles as he answered back, "Bruno turns MASK losers into mince meat!"

"Easy now. Don't be a bad dog, Mad Dog, or I'll swat you on the nose," Vanessa said. "I'll take out Brad Turner. You can have the other one all to yourself. That way, one of us at least has a chance at winning the race."

Elsewhere, Brad and Calhoun discussed their own approach to the race.

"So, how bad will it be?" Calhoun asked.

"Knowing Vanessa, she'll pursue us relentlessly. Bruno shouldn't be too much of a problem, but watch out for his magna-beam. I'm pretty sure they'll try to take out at least one of the crossings over the Rio Grande," Brad replied.

"If she does that, I may be our only hope to win, thanks to Raven's amphibious capabilities."

Brad nodded. "I guess you're right," he replied. The idea of being unable to finish a race unnerved him.

* * *

"All four-wheeled vehicles to the starting area," sounded over the public address system.

Duane looked on with the chief of the local Santa Ana Pueblo. This year, the tribe invited representatives from the Navajo and the Apache to be co-hosts. Nevada Rushmore's presence worked out well; he represented both MASK and his native Apache.

The Santa Ana chief stood up and walked over to the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Cactus Canyon Challenge. The race will cross difficult terrain, but the winner can take pride in finishing the race. Just as our braves raced generations ago, so shall you in your vehicles. May the best driver win," he announced to a round of applause.

On the course, the eager drivers started and revved their engines.

Another Native American drew his bow and shot an arrow at the starting line. As soon as it hit the ground and drivers reacted to the green ribbon attached to it, tires squealed as racers jockeyed for position.

"All remaining racers will start in five minutes," was announced overhead once the last of the four-wheeled vehicles left the starting area.

"_Here goes nothing,"_ Ahsoka thought to herself. Despite the helmet that hid most of her montrals, her head-tails were still noticeable. Her front ones stopped just above her stomach and her rear one was more or less the same length.

As she lined up near the end of the pack, she noticed a racer to her left. He drove a red motorcycle and wore a red mask with dark tinted areas for his eyes and mouth. She also noticed something odd perched on his right shoulder. Ahsoka simply shrugged and checked her own motorcycle's instrumentation again.

Floyd, on the other hand, was more interested in checking out Ahsoka. Surely, Miles would want to know about this.

"Boss. Boss, are you there?" He called into his mask's radio transmitter.

"What do you want, Bird Man?" Miles replied.

"There's some weird looking racer here. And, she has horns on her head!"

"Bird Man, the only horny racer there is you! Like I told Lester, stop focusing on the women and focus on your task. And that task is winning the race. Got it?" Miles replied with noticeable irritation in his voice.

"Right, M.M. Don't worry, I'll gladly make her suffer if I have to," Floyd assured his superior.

Nevada, who overheard the conversation, had his own idea. He put his mask on and waited for the starting signal.

"Let's see if we can give her a head start," he said out loud to himself. "Totem, on!" he then said. A number of miniature totem poles shot out and landed in front of Vampire.

As the arrow hit the ground, everyone took off. MASK's Ali Bombay found himself in the middle of the pack. Ahsoka did her best to remember how to drive her motorcycle. For the moment, she was content to be near the rear of the pack.

As Floyd drove forward, he lost his balance and fell off his vehicle. He groaned in frustration to see he had been tripped up by yet another MASK weapon. As he grabbed a handful of the totem poles, they started to explode in his hand.

"Ow! Ow!" he yelled as he quickly dropped the rest of them.

"What are you doing now, bird brain?" Miles asked.

"It's the Indian. He shot exploding totem poles at me," Floyd whined.

"I want results, not excuses. So make tracks and win that race!"

Floyd sighed and remounted Vampire. "I'll get that weird driver and then take out Bombay," he told himself and he gunned his engine.

Meanwhile, Ahsoka noticed another racer staring at her. As they made the first turn, however, he didn't adjust to it and he crashed into a barrier.

"_He should have paid attention to the road's curves and not mine," _Ahsoka thought to herself as she smirked.

* * *

Vanessa & Bruno quickly approached their competition. They had already eliminated most of the other drivers with their masks and weapons. If they eliminated the two vehicles in front of them, they would have the lead all to themselves.

"You know what to do, Mad Dog," Vanessa said.

Bruno poked his head out of Stinger's window. "Magna-beam, on!" he said. A red ray shot out of his mask and locked onto the car in front of him. With the driver unable to steer, Bruno flung the car off course and into a dry ravine. The driver could only look on helplessly and shake his fist in disgust.

Meanwhile, Vanessa focused on the other driver.

"Whip, on!" she said as a long, blue strand of energy shot from her mask. As it reached the opponent's vehicle, it flicked and knocked the vehicle off-course. The driver skidded and crashed into a large cactus. She shook her head in disbelief and sighed. She had no idea what caused her to suddenly lose control and crash.

A distance behind them, Brand and Calhoun navigated the course and wrecked vehicles.

"You were right Brad, their vileness knows no limits," Calhoun said.

"Trust me, I know from experience. Now remember the plan when we catch up to them," Brad replied.

Shortly thereafter, Vanessa noticed Razorback and Raven in her review mirror.

"It's MASK, Bruno. Let's teach them what it feels like to be a used car in a crusher!" Vanessa exclaimed gleefully.

"I **still** hate it when you tell me what to do, Vanessa," Bruno sneered.

"Bark at me again and I'll muzzle you," Vanessa warned him.

Vanessa converted Manta to attack mode. The rear split in half to form wings and reveal a set of three jet exhaust pipes. As Manta went airborne, her wheels turned to expose wings to stabilize the vehicle as it flew.

Brad, upon seeing Bruno again, decided to poke fun at the dim-witted VENOM agent. He recalled how he taunted Bruno during the Mediterranean Grand Prix.

"Back for more, eh Bruno? Did you ever upgrade your brain to a turnip?" Brad asked.

Vanessa, hearing Brad's comment on the open frequency, tried to intervene.

"Don't do it, Mad Dog," she said, but to no avail.

Bruno, maddened by Brad's insult, stuck his head out of Stinger's window.

"Magna-beam, on!" he yelled.

This time, however, Calhoun had a surprise waiting. He fired a disk from Raven's lower grille. As hoped, Bruno's magna-beam locked onto the metallic disk before it could lock on to either MASK vehicle.

Bruno looked on in horror to see the disk heading right at him. He quickly transformed Stinger from a GTO to a tank. The wheels on either side popped up and lasers extended out of the hubcaps. Stinger now drove on tank-like treads and a metal shield extended across most of the windshield. As he disengaged his magna-beam, the disk crashed harmlessly into the shielding. However, Bruno was now furious.

"Squash MASK!" he yelled as he pressed a button. Stinger's trunk opened to reveal a large gripping claw.

Calhoun was prepared for this as well.

"Gulliver, shrink!" he called out. Rays shot out from both sides of his mask and surrounded the claw. In mere seconds, the claw shrank to 1/18 its normal size. Unless Calhoun restored it himself, it would remain in its shrunken state for about an hour.

"You better get a grip, Bruno," Calhoun deadpanned as he sped past the angered VENOM agent.

Meanwhile, Brad had his hands full with Vanessa, VENOM's answer to the _femme fatale_,

"Vanessa, ready to lose yet another race?" Brad asked her sarcastically.

"You're all mine, Turner, and so is your partner," Vanessa replied. She activated Manta's weapons: a block of three rockets emerged from the hood and lasers extended out of the headlights.

"But Vanessa, you have to see us to catch us," Brad said. "Eclipse, on!" he called. A murky blackness shot out of his mask, obscuring Vanessa's line of sight.

Underneath her mask, Vanessa gnashed her teeth and fired all three of her rockets. Once the darkness lifted, she found no MASK agents or vehicles, only a livid Bruno.

"You pathetic punk! How could you let them escape?" she yelled.

"You almost hit Stinger with your rockets! No wonder Floyd and Lester hate working with you," Bruno replied back just as angrily.

"Spare me, Mad Dog. We can't let them win this race. We've got to stop them," Vanessa said. Determined, she kept Manta airborne to catch up to her foes. Bruno floored Stinger's accelerator, eager to avenge his humiliation at the hands of MASK.

* * *

Behind this battle, the motorcyclists continued to race. Ali had worked his way near the front of the pack. Ahsoka was still content to trail behind the main pack. So far, she sensed nothing out of the ordinary. Buddy had attached a radio to Ahsoka's motorcycle. It was set to the open frequency used by most, if not all, of the racers. However, Ahsoka largely ignored the chatter.

Meanwhile Floyd had finally caught up to the pack.

"Hey, there's that weird looking racer. If I can't squash her, maybe Mayhem will pay me for capturing her," Floyd said out loud. Vampire's front windshield dropped down to reveal two lasers. He shot a stream of laser fireballs at Ahsoka.

Ahsoka, still looking ahead, sensed trouble rippling through her montrals. She quickly moved to the left and evaded the laser fire.

"_I guess they were right. They want to take me out, too. I'll teach them not to mess with a Jedi,"_ she thought.

As Floyd shot more fireballs at her Ahsoka once again avoided the stream.

"That creature may be good, but not good enough for this: buckshot, on," Floyd said as he shot numerous ball bearing towards Ahsoka.

Ahsoka once again sensed the projectiles thanks to the Force and her montrals. She reached her left hand behind her and the ball bearings appeared to suspend in mid-air. As she thrust her hand back towards Vampire, the ball bearings reversed direction and pelted Floyd and Vampire.

Floyd winced, yelled, and screamed as the ball bearings pelted him and his vehicle.

"This creature is too weird, she somehow threw my buckshot right back at me. Miles was right. Forget her, I'll go find Bombay instead," he told himself. He finished converting Vampire to an air vehicle and took off. He couldn't help but to look perplexed as he saw blue points protruding out of Ahsoka's helmet. However, he quickly pushed her out of his mind and focused on his new target.

Ahsoka looked up to see the airborne Vampire flying. All she could do was shake her head in disbelief.

"_And Earth humans think **I'm** weird?"_ she thought to herself.

* * *

Brad and Calhoun sped on. They had crossed the first bridge ahead of their foes. Fortunately, this meant that Dusty didn't have to use any of Billboard Blast's limited weaponry. With only a smoke bomb, a sticky goop bomb, and a laser, he had to use them as judiciously as possible.

"What do we do now, Brad?" Calhoun asked.

Brad noticed Manta in his rear view mirror. After sighing, he replied, "You **had** to ask. We'll have to deal with Vanessa again."

"But where's Bruno?"

"Who knows? He probably stopped to admire a tumbleweed. After all, it **is** a higher life form," Brad replied dryly.

Vanessa tried to launch a sneak attack with her rockets. Unfortunately for her, Calhoun shot one of his disks out from Raven. It expanded into a large net and caught the rockets, diverting them safely out of harm's way.

Brad converted Razorback. The middle section of the car elevated into a raised assault platform. The doors dropped down to reveal a set of lasers. The middle of the hood angled up to produce a missile.

"Let me take her, we need Raven just in case VENOM sabotages the second bridge," Brad said.

"If you insist," Calhoun answered. He sped off and let Brand handle Vanessa.

* * *

"All right, Bombay. It's time to chew you up and make you suffer!" Floyd yelled out. He shot his fireballs at Ali, who quickly took evasive action.

"Vortex, on," Ali answered. A small whirlwind shot out of his mask and blew the fireballs safely away. He then turned back around and noticed the first river crossing. He couldn't afford to be taken out of commission now.

As the rivals neared the bridge, a billboard came into view. One side read "Rio Rancho" with a background of the desert landscape. The other side had an action shot of a race car.

Floyd's latest shot nearly caught Ali's tire. The latter quickly converted Bullet to a hovercraft. Perhaps an airborne counterattack was in order.

"Powderkeg, are you there? I could use some backup," Ali called into his MASK-specific transmitter.

"Here I am, partner!" Dusty replied. The billboard split open to reveal Dusty and his weapons. He quickly fired his smoke missile. "I hope you like old music, Floyd, because smoke is about to get in your eyes, you VENOM varmint," he said.

Floyd groaned as he entered the smoke. He struggled as he tried to regain his bearings. Finally, he left the smoke cloud and set his eyes on his next target.

"You made a big mistake, Hayes!" Floyd yelled as he shot at Billboard Blast.

"Surprise!" Dusty replied back. He pushed a button and the upper part of his weapons platform separated from the pole and went airborne, thanks to hidden thrusters. Until now, Dusty had never needed to use this feature. But today, it would prove useful.

"Yee haw! Ride 'em billboard," Dusty said gleefully. He then shot his own laser at Floyd, clipping his right rear wing. Vampire slowly fluttered helplessly before Floyd reluctantly converted it back to a touring bike. He then noticed another motorcycle and a familiar vehicle slowly closing in on his location. He recognized the vehicle as Stinger.

"Bruno, take that billboard out!" he called out.

Bruno once again transformed Stinger, except for the still-shrunken claw. This time, however, his side exhaust pipes raised to reveal a pair of high-power lasers. He opened fire on Dusty.

Dusty fired his laser in response to the new threat. This bought some time as he came up with a new counterattack.

"Vacuum, on!" Dusty said. Immediately a ray of energy shot out from near the mouthpiece of his mask. As it hit the ground, it produced a small dust storm that caught Stinger and sent it spinning off-course and into the desert.

"Eat my dust, Bruno," Dusty said triumphantly. As he smirked he noticed the motorcycle and he noticed Floyd up ahead of him. He couldn't let VENOM take out another civilian driver.

"Hey there, I'll cover you. You might want to get out of here faster than a kitten in a room full of rocking chairs," Dusty said.

Ahsoka listened to her radio in disbelief. She wasn't sure what the idiomatic expression meant, but she didn't plan to stick around to find out, either.

She picked up her microphone and replied, "Umm, okay."

"Alright little, lady, you get going and finish this race. And be careful. There's more VENOM up ahead," Dusty warned Ahsoka.

"Thanks," Ahsoka replied as she revved her engine and sped up.

* * *

Matt, Duane, and Nevada all followed progress of the race. It sounded as if Brad & Calhoun had a big lead on Bruno and Vanessa. And with Floyd out of the two-wheel race, it sounded as if Ali might have an easy win.

Suddenly, a Native American ran up to Nevada and handed him a rolled parchment. Nevada unrolled it, read it, and looked on with wide eyes.

"Chief, what is it?" Matt asked.

"It's Buzzard. Scouts report it driving a few miles northeast from here," Nevada replied.

"I could divert one of our agents to intercept."

"No, it's in the opposite direction of the race – in the sacred lands. There's no time. We must get there ourselves before it's too late. I'll fill you in on the way!" Nevada said as he ran to where Goliath II was parked.

"Alright. Duane, hold the fort down until we get back," Matt said as he joined Nevada. Goliath II quickly sped off.

* * *

Ahsoka checked her instruments. She hadn't encountered any more weird drivers or vehicles. Everything seemed okay. However, her fuel was down below the halfway mark. She saw what looked like a docking station in the distance.

"_I guess I can refuel up there, just to be safe,"_ she thought to herself.

However, something didn't look right as she got closer. The station suddenly started to move and the overhead sign dropped down and met the bottom of the station and formed a set of grinding teeth. Sly Rax was eager to attack Ahsoka with his Pit Stop Catapult.

"What the..." Ahsoka said out loud as she quickly tried to turn around. Rax, however, wasn't ready to give up. He launched a studded tire from the gas pump-turned catapult. He looked on in amazement as Ahsoka used the Force to safely redirect its trajectory. Undaunted, Rax decided to use his mask for the next attack on the motorcycle and its unusual-looking driver.

"Sawblade, on," he said. Two pairs of miniature circular saw blades shot out of his mask that spun at a high rate of speed.

Ahsoka sensed more trouble in her montrals. The first two blades missed her and her motorcycle. The third one embedded itself in her handlebars. Ahsoka yelped as she felt the last one whiz over her head. Although it didn't injure her, it passed close enough to the tip of her right montral that it produced an uncomfortable rippling sensation though her body.

Ahsoka suddenly stopped her motorcycle, turned it back around, and faced her foe.

"Okay, that's it," she muttered through gritted teeth. She quickly used the Force to remove the blade stuck in her handlebars. She then pulled out her lightsaber and ignited it. Holding it as if she was in a medieval joust, she took a direct path towards Rax.

Now, Rax looked on in confusion.

"What **is** that thing? And what's it doing with that flashlight?" he asked himself out loud.

At the last second, Ahsoka veered off to her left. Her lightsaber clipped the side of the Pit Stop Catapult. Sparks started to fly and the control panel blew out in a large puff of smoke.

Rax quickly jumped off his control platform and ran away as fast as he could in the opposite direction. Once more, his vehicle exploded and left a mass of smoldering rubble.

"Not again!" he groaned in frustration.

After the explosion, Ahsoka extinguished her lightsaber.

"_Let's hope I don't see anything else like that. I'm staring to think this race is more stressful than my race on Mon Gazza," _she thought.

* * *

"We're almost there, Maxie. Let's move on to phase two of the plan," he told his brother.

"The best part," Max replied. He pushed a button and Buzzard split into three parts. He and his brother had matching side vehicles. Meanwhile, the middle part split off and transformed into a drone-controlled attack jet.

"Drone, run attack program Vanessa-1," Miles commanded.

"Instructions confirmed. Running attack program," the robotic drone voice repeated.

"There. With that done, we can now get that cactus. Those MASK fools will be too busy to stop us," Miles said.

"And Trakker won't have any idea we're here," Max answered.

* * *

Brad had caught up to Calhoun. Although they hadn't reached the second Rio Grande crossing yet, there was a small ravine ahead of them. A small tollbooth stood ahead of the crossing.

"Brad, something's coming behind us," Calhoun said.

Brad checked his mirror. "It's Vanessa – and Mayhem's drone thing. We've got our hands full now," he replied.

Vanessa opened fire, although her rivals evaded her initial volley, she had her strategy planned in advance. "Drone, attack Raven. Brad Turner is all mine!" she said.

"Confirmed. Seeking target," the drone responded.

Brad transformed Razorback once again and fired his own lasers at Vanessa. Although he missed, she had to veer away to avoid getting hit.

As the battle progressed, the tollbooth transformed into a fortified bunker. Alex Sector now had a missile launcher, guns, and radar equipment at his disposal.

"Chopper, this is Megabyte. Vanessa is closing in fast," he said.

"I copy, Alex. I'm ready for her," Brad said.

Calhoun tried to nab the drone with one of his weighted net disks. This time, the drone was ready and evaded the net.

"That drone is more than a handful," Calhoun said.

"This is Falcon. Calhoun, I've got your support from the air," Ace Riker replied from his jet, Meteor. He fired its lasers at the drone. The drone barely avoided the barrage, but it wasn't anticipating two targets. Ace opened fire again, driving the drone back towards Calhoun. This time, Raven's net disk caught the drone.

"Impossible to fly," the drone announced as it skidded on the desert sand and dangled perilously over the ravine.

By this time, Ali had caught up to his colleagues.

"Alex, I'll help Brad and take the pressure off of you," he said.

"Roger, Lightning. Megabyte out," Alex responded.

Ali transformed Bullet to hovercraft mode and provided a distraction as Brad and Calhoun resumed their course. Vanessa growled in frustration as Ali avoided all of her laser and rocket fire.

Suddenly, Alex's radar started chirping.

"There's another vehicle coming," he noted.

"One of ours?" Ali asked.

"Negative. It's not VENOM either."

"Alex, it's another motorcycle. I think it's that racer Matt told us about," Ace interjected.

"She's riding right into the crossfire. We can't let her get caught in it," Alex replied.

"I have an idea. Alex, if you can keep Vanessa busy for a minute or two, I can make sure the motorcycle gets out of here."

"Got it," Alex replied. He fired a missile at Vanessa and then shot laser fire at her as she fired her own lasers.

"Driver, if you can hear me, I'm going to get you out of harm's way. It may feel weird, but I promise it won't hurt," Ace said through the open frequency.

Ahsoka picked up her microphone. "I take it you mean me again. But what are you going to do to me?" she asked curiously.

"No time to explain. Just keep driving and keep steering straight," Ace said.

"Umm, 10-4," Ahsoka replied nervously, under if she remembered what she head previously.

To assist Alex, Ace landed Meteor. He launched the cockpit, which was a miniature jet in itself, and flew back towards Ahsoka. Meteor's rear laser fired at Vanessa in Manta, providing Alex a chance to regroup and plan a new attack.

"Disruptor, on!" Alex said. A laser bolt shot towards Manta and interfered with its controls. Vanessa struggled to keep Manta flying straight. Alex then pressed a button and a reel-to-reel tape activated inside The Collector. It produced a high pitched, oscillating sound.

"Some white noise ought to keep Vanessa busy," Alex said. Vanessa reluctantly changed her course to fly away from the ravine. She'd have to regroup and find a new way to reach her next attack target.

Meanwhile, Ace flew just above and behind Ahsoka. Satisfied that he was in position, he made his next move.

"Cruise control, on," he said. A beam shot out from his mask and surrounded Ahsoka and her motorcycle. She twitched slightly as it felt like someone had grabbed hold of her.

"Accelerate," Ace commanded his mask. Suddenly, Ahsoka's motorcycle shot forward at a higher rate of speed. She did her best to steer over the bridge crossing. She didn't anticipate a sharp turn on the other side and somehow managed to keep from tipping over as she navigated the curve. Now, she was back to riding her motorcycle under her own control.

"We'll slow down VENOM as much as possible. You keep on driving," Ace told her.

"Thanks. Those VENOM people are starting to annoy me," she replied.

"We'll do what we can to make sure they don't bother you again," Ace promised.

* * *

Ahsoka breathed a sigh of relief. Although she was starting to run low on fuel, she knew she might have just enough to finish the race. Ever since her encounter at The Collector, she hadn't seen another racer. Still, Ahsoka didn't mind because this meant she wouldn't deal with VENOM any more.

Or so she thought.

While she checked her instrumentation again, her motorcycle suddenly lurched forward. She frantically leaped off the motorcycle before it skidded on the ground. She then noticed the front wheel was caked in thick mud.

"Surprise, Tano. I bet you didn't expect my sneak attack," Lester said as he laughed hysterically. He extended his shredder blade and sped towards Ahsoka's grounded motorcycle. Ahsoka barely leaped away in time to avoid Iguana. Her motorcycle, however, wasn't so lucky. Lester used his shredder to slice the front wheel clean off the frame.

"I guess your race is now over, Tano. Whatever you are, you're as much a has-been as your cycle," he said.

Ahsoka was angry now. It was one thing to be targeted because of her Togruta appearance. But Lester trashing her motorcycle was the last straw. She drew her lightsaber and shoto, but she never got the chance to ignite them.

"Mudslinger, on," Lester said. Two well-placed balls of mud knocked Ahsoka's sabers out of her hands. To make matters worse, the smelly, disgusting mud was so thick, it caked onto the hilts, making it impossible to press the ignition buttons.

"Sly told me about your flashlights and what you did to his pit stop. Now it's time to return the favor. What are you made of anyways? Horns and snails and long, striped tails?" Lester asked sarcastically.

Before Ahsoka could come up with her own smart answer, Lester spoke again.

"I have an idea, why don't I cut you open and find out," he said as he laughed once more. He extended his shredder again and pointed it towards Ahsoka.

Ahsoka was frozen in horror. Her lightsabers were unavailable and her motorcycle wasn't drivable. As Iguana slowly crept closer to her, she didn't know what she was going to do. Was she really going to die at the hands of a masked maniac? ▄

* * *

**Disclaimers:** Walt Disney Company owns all Star Wars characters & concepts. Kenner and D.I.C. Enterprises, Inc. appear to own M.A.S.K. Characters & concepts.


	4. The Cactus Canyon Challenge, Part 2

**Chapter Four**

**The Cactus Canyon Challenge, Part 2**

* * *

So far, Gloria was happy that her test-drive went smoothly. Thanks to the on-board radio, she tracked her colleagues' encounters with VENOM and made sure she kept a safe distance away from any trouble. However, as she drove up a hill, she took notice at a peculiar sight.

"Hey, that's Iguana. It looks like Lester is picking on a defenseless driver. I'm sorry, Matt, but I guess I'll be seeing what this little baby can do," she said out loud to herself.

"Mask!" she called out. Her mask automatically dropped down on top of her head. She flipped the lever that switched the vehicle from normal driving to defense mode. Being a prototype, she had no idea what to expect. And, Matt was right. What if this vehicle had no functioning weapons? She realized her mask may be the only weapon she had at her disposal. But it didn't matter now, she had to do something before Lester did.

Her race car, still with no official name, went slightly airborne thanks to under-body thrusters. The sides of the vehicle slowly pulled away from each other. All four tires now pointed behind her. Thrusters inside the tires ignited and sent the vehicle further airborne. Meanwhile, the front portion of the vehicle, now the tips of its wings, opened to reveal micro-lasers.

"_This reminds me of Julio's vehicle, Firefly," _she thought. Gloria looked at her instrument panel. Everything seemed normal. But, both her fire buttons were red.

"_That's not good. The weapons should be ready upon transformation,"_ she thought to herself. As she looked again, the smaller button was now green.

"Let's see what this one does," she said. She pressed the fire button, not sure what might happen. The micro-lasers fired towards Lester.

Back on the ground, Ahsoka ran out of space to back away from Iguana's shredder blade. She knew backing into the cactus behind her would be too painful. Unfortunately, the business end of Iguana's shredder wasn't much of an improvement. Suddenly, she felt an explosion that knocked her off her feet. Fortunately, it also took Lester by surprise.

"What? How did Trakker get here?" he yelled in disbelief as he saw the flying race car.

"Who says I'm Matt Trakker?" Gloria replied through the open frequency.

"Whoever you are, you're not going to ruin my shredding!" a defiant Lester yelled.

Gloria, undaunted, pressed the now-green large fire button. She felt the vehicle lurch slightly as a high-intensity laser beam shot out from the vehicle's oxygen intake. The explosion nearly knocked Lester off Iguana.

Ahsoka, having a chance to refocus, remembered she wasn't as defenseless as she initially thought. She quickly used the Force to pick up both Iguana and Lester and send them hurling a distance away.

In the air, Gloria looked on in disbelief.

"Wow, that laser was sure powerful if it did that!" she exclaimed. She had no idea that it was Ahsoka who sent Iguana airborne. Still, she reached a point close to Ahsoka and converted the vehicle back to normal. After a smooth touchdown, she stopped in front of the Togruta Jedi.

"Hey, it's you. Are you okay?" Gloria asked.

Ahsoka caught her breath and regained her composure. "I'm fine, but my motorcycle isn't – no thanks to that weirdo," she replied.

"Let's get out of here before he comes after us."

Ahsoka nodded. "Good idea," she replied. She then Force-pulled her lightsabers back to her hands and re-attached them to her belt. She could always remove Lester's hardened mud later. Ahsoka was surprised to see Gloria's vehicle had a driver's seat and a seat behind it.

"Room for two?" Ahsoka asked curiously.

"Pretty handy, huh? Let's get going," Gloria replied.

Lester got up and brushed the dirt off of himself. He had no idea what just happened, but he wasn't too pleased to be defeated – especially by women.

"I'll get you!" Lester yelled as he shook his fist. He then floored Iguana's accelerator.

"This guy doesn't give up," Ahsoka muttered.

"And neither do I," Gloria assured Ahsoka. "Aura, on,"she called. Her mask fired a yellow wave of energy that knocked Iguana off balance once again.

This time, Lester was ready to concede defeat. He pulled Iguana upright once more. As he removed his mask, he pulled out his smart phone and looked at it through his sunglasses.

"I've had it. I'm getting out of here before someone trashes **my** shredder blade. Hmm, there's a custard place five miles away. Ice cream sounds good about now. Ironic though – custard near a Native American reservation," he said as laughed hysterically. After putting his phone back into his pocket, he got up on Iguana again and took off towards town.

As Gloria and Ahsoka sped off, Ahsoka reflected on her near-death experience. _"Oddly, his voice sounded familiar. But it can't be. I'd remember if I ever meet a sleemo like that before,"_ she thought to herself.

* * *

While Calhoun and Brad stood up to Vanessa's latest attack, she still succeeded in bombing the second crossing over the Rio Grande. Convinced there was no way she could be stopped, she flew Manta across the damaged bridge and sped on towards victory.

"What do we do now?" Brad asked Calhoun.

"Whatever we do, it has to be fast. Otherwise, Vanessa is going to win," Calhoun replied.

"If the crossing was smaller, I might be able to get Razorback across."

"That's it Brad. I have an idea, if you don't mind a temporary reduction."

Brad eyed his colleague suspiciously. "What do you have in mind?"

"Just get into Razorback. I have to do this now if we have any chance of winning."

Brad nodded and got back into his vehicle. Calhoun used his Gulliver mask to shrink Razorback with Brad inside. It now stood about 3½ inches [8½ cm] tall. Calhoun quickly scooped up the miniaturized vehicle and secured it inside Raven.

Calhoun quickly converted Raven and drove toward the river. Although navigating the river's current was tricky, Calhoun was able to drive Raven to a spot not too far from the course's original crossing. As soon as he reached solid ground, he converted Raven back to a Corvette. He then grabbed the miniaturized Razorback and put it outside.

"Gulliver, grow!" he said. In a matter of seconds, Razorback – and Brad – returned to their original sizes.

"That was ingenious, but I hope I'm not that small again any time soon," Brad quipped.

"Thanks, but we've got a race to finish. And we need to warn Ali and Gloria," Calhoun replied.

"Ali should be okay. Bullet converts to a hovercraft. But Gloria might have problems. We better warn her."

* * *

"Thanks, Brad. This vehicle can convert to a jet similar to Firefly, but I'm quite low on fuel. I hope I have enough," Gloria replied through her mask's built-in radio.

"I just wanted to warn you. See you soon," Brad replied.

Ahsoka listened to the conversation. She might be able to help Gloria if she trusted her.

"Gloria, I can help you cross the damaged bridge without flying. That way you save your fuel," Ahsoka stated.

Gloria kept her eyes on the road, but she acknowledged Ahsoka's statement. "How can you do that? It's not like you have Bruce's lifter mask," she replied.

"I can do it. You have to trust me. Let me help you for saving me from that maniac."

Gloria shifted in her seat. "If you can do what you say, go ahead. We're almost here anyways," she replied.

"The only thing is that I need complete concentration. So until I'm done, try to be as quiet as possible."

Gloria nodded.

Ahsoka could sense the end of the road fast approaching. She closed her eyes and slowly raised her hands.

Gloria was surprised. She felt her vehicle raise of the ground, but it wasn't from the thrusters or defense mode. She wanted to ask what was happening, but remembered Ahsoka's request for silence.

Ahsoka, despite her closed eyes, could sense the vehicle as it crossed above the damaged bridge and the Rio Grande. Her montrals buzzed with various sensations, but she did her best to keep her focus. Finally, she sensed solid ground and slowly lowered her hands until she felt the vehicle softly touch down again.

Gloria felt her vehicle briefly lurch as it retouched the pavement, but it quickly returned to normal.

"That was amazing. I just hope that saved us enough fuel. How did you do that, anyways?" Gloria asked.

"I have the ability to levitate objects in midair, provided I can keep my concentration," Ahsoka replied.

"Interesting," Gloria mumbled in a sub-audible voice. As curious as the comment was, she remained determined to reach the finish line.

* * *

Ace Riker flew as quickly as he could across the course. He was all too happy to help Brad and Calhoun track down Vanessa. He could only hope, however, he could find her before the finish line. Vanessa did win once before – the Mesa Verde Memorial Road Race. If Ace had his way, it would remain her only win to date.

"It's time to slow her down. Cruise control, on. Snail pace," Ace said. Manta slowed down to a slight crawl.

Vanessa gnashed her teeth inside of her mask. She wasn't expecting Ace to interfere with her sure victory.

"You can't hold me forever, Riker!" she yelled.

"Guys, I got Vanessa. But cruise control's safety will shut it off if you don't make your move quick enough," Ace informed Brad and Calhoun.

"We're on our way!" Calhoun replied as both her and Brad floored their accelerators.

Meanwhile, Ace felt the cruise control beam slowly waver. He couldn't slow her down much longer.

"You only delayed the inevitable Riker. This time, **MASK** loses," she said.

Sure enough, the cruise control mask shut off. Ace remembered one last weapon he could try. If it failed, Vanessa's prediction would come true. As he sped up and flew over the top of manta, he dropped what looked like a depth charge. However, it wasn't a bomb in the usual sense. It exploded on its descent and released a fine orange-red powder.

Vanessa was confused now. Ace's mask couldn't be slowing her down this time. Yet, Manta continued to slow down until it stopped moving altogether.

"What's happening?" she asked angrily while she frantically fiddled with her gearshift.

"I have an ace up my sleeve, Vanessa. I guess you've never encountered my metal freezing bomb – until today," Ace replied.

Vanessa screamed in frustration. Once again, MASK had foiled yet another bid for victory. To add insult to injury, Brad and Calhoun finally passed her up.

"Hey Vanessa, if you get hot under the collar, maybe you can thaw Manta out quicker," Brad said to tease her.

Vanessa shook her head in anger and banged her fist against the dashboard in disgust.

* * *

The races, if one could call them that, officially ended. Calhoun finished ahead of Brad in the four-wheel race. Ali finished the two-wheel race unchallenged. Gloria, with Ahsoka, also crossed the finish line.

As the group pulled into their garage, Duane waited for them.

"Duane, where's Matt and the chief?" Brad asked.

"They received a message that Miles was sighted in the pueblo's sacred grounds. They went to investigate," Duane replied.

Brad nodded.

Elsewhere, Ahsoka disembarked from Gloria's race car, surprising Cara.

"Ahsoka, what happened to you? And, where's your motorcycle?" she asked.

Ahsoka sighed, replying, "One of those masked weirdos sliced the front wheel off of it – and nearly cut me in half, too."

"What about your lightsabers?"

Ahsoka detached them from her belt. "He shot this thick, icky mud at them. I couldn't use them. Thankfully, Gloria rescued me," she replied with a smile. She then tapped her lightsabers against the wall. Fortunately, the mud that encrusted her lightsabers fell off easily.

"I was afraid they'd target you," Cara said.

"I've been through much worse, master. It's not the first time I've cheated death."

"I just hope it's the last time for a while, Ahsoka. So, did you find anything out of the ordinary?"

"Just all those weird vehicles and masked drivers. I didn't sense any Sith presence at all."

"Me either, Ahsoka. A few fans were detained for disorderly conduct and public drunkenness, but that was it."

Ahsoka walked up to Gloria. "Thanks, again, for rescuing me from that weirdo," she said. She then looked at Gloria curiously.

Gloria had a puzzled look. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

Ahsoka smiled. "Not at all. I'm just glad someone else likes long boots, too. I get teased quite a bit because I wear them nearly all the time," she replied.

"Only when I'm with MASK. I like them, yes, but I like dressing like a girly girl, too."

Ahsoka nodded. Once again, she wasn't quite sure what Gloria's response meant.

"Thanks, again," Ahsoka said as the two women exchanged a handshake.

Buddy came running up to Ahsoka.

"There you are. I was able to find your motorcycle. Lester really did a number on it. Still, I could use it for spare parts. Would $50 be okay?" he asked.

Ahsoka turned to Cara. In her previous Jedi life, Ahsoka was expected to have few material possessions. As such, she would likely turn down the payment.

"It's okay Ahsoka," Cara assured her.

"Um, thanks," Ahsoka replied.

"Here you go – twenty, forty, and fifty," Buddy said as he gave her two twenty dollar bills and a ten dollar bill.

Ahsoka placed the money the pouch attached to her belt. She wasn't sure what to do with it, but she promised herself she'd put it to good use somehow.

Calhoun came up to the group. He had a tray of small glasses holding a green liquid.

"As promised, a victory toast to celebrate with friends. Ladies, you can join us, too," he said.

As everyone picked up a glass, Cara looked at Ahsoka disapprovingly.

"Master, what's wrong?" Ahsoka asked.

"You're only 19. You have to be 21 to drink alcohol. A mint julep is alcoholic."

"Oh." Ahsoka's head-tail stripes darkened to convey her embarrassment.

"Hey, I have an idea. There's some limeade in this vending machine. I'll get you some," Gloria said. After dropping a number of quarters into the slot, she pushed a button. She then handed the bottle to Ahsoka.

"There. It's green, and you can drink it with us," she said.

Ahsoka nodded. "Thanks," she replied as she opened the cap. Everyone then toasted Calhoun for his first racing victory.

* * *

Buzzard continued to speed down an isolated highway.

"It's just over that hill, Maxie. We've found the albino cactus!" Miles exclaimed.

"And its potent juices will be all ours," Max replied.

The twin brothers parked Buzzard walked up to the top of the hill. As they spotted the cactus, something else caught their eyes. Matt Trakker and Nevada Rushmore were waiting for them on either side of the cactus.

"Miles, Max, what took you two so long?" Matt Trakker asked teasingly.

"Trakker! How did you get here?" Miles asked.

"Rumor has it the stork brought me."

Miles growled in frustration. "You can't stop me now, Trakker. It's too late. I've found the cactus," he said.

"But can you find it again?" Matt replied. "Shroud, on," he added. As his mask's visor blinked, thick purple fog started to surround the cactus.

"They can't fool me that easily. I'll get what I came for," Miles said as he pulled out a syringe.

"Miles, don't do it. It's too dangerous," Max warned.

"Brother, you stick to the low-risk stuff. **I'll** show you that not even Trakker can hide a cactus in the fog," Miles replied. He ran headlong into the purple smoke, eager to collect the sample he came for.

All of a sudden, Max heard his brother groaning and yelping in pain. As the fog lifted, there was no sign of the MASK agents. However, his brother was on the ground and flat on his back. Several cactus spikes protruded from his chest. More telling was the fact the syringe was nowhere to be seen.

Max quickly ran over to his brother and gingerly helped him to his feet.

"Thanks," Miles said in a rare moment of gratitude. He then clenched his fist. "I may be stuck empty-handed, but I'll get you next time, Trakker," he vowed.

"Can you drive? We'll get you to the nearest hospital," Max said.

"I think so, but a seat belt is definitely out of the question."

"I could always use deep-freeze to numb the pain,"

Miles backed away. "You'd freeze me to death. No thanks!" he replied. He then got into his driving pod and revved the engine.

Max sighed. After all these races, he still didn't understand his brother's motives or his personality. All he could do is follow him and make sure he got the necessary medical attention.

"Maybe I should go back to robbing banks," he lamented.

* * *

"So, Nevada and you stopped Miles?" Buddy asked.

"Yup. Let's just say Miles got himself into a rather prickly situation," Matt replied. Everyone laughed despite the pun.

Nearby, Ahsoka and Cara had their own conversation.

"We should work on our reports so we can leave tomorrow morning," Cara said.

Ahsoka nodded. "Yes, master. The sooner, the better," she replied.

"Excuse me. Do you really have to leave so soon?" Nevada asked.

"Well, our part of the mission is over. You have no further need of us. So we need to return home, report about what happened, and be ready for our next assignment," Ahsoka explained.

"I'd really like it if you could stay tomorrow – even if only for the morning. The inter-tribal pow-wow will take place, and I'd love to have you as invited guests. You can even learn more about Native American culture and sample our food and wares."

Ahsoka appeared intrigued by the idea. "Can we, master?" she asked Cara.

Cara pondered the invitation. "I think we could stay for half the day. After all, this would give you a better chance to learn more about American culture. I can't see the Grand Master turning down a chance for you to learn more about that. I'll contact him now and make sure it's okay," she replied. She then left for their room.

"Ahsoka, you seem very interested in tomorrow's activities," Nevada told her.

"Very much. I have to leave now, but I would like to ask you some questions. It seems like you and I might have some things in common," she replied.

"I look forward to it. Sleep well and I'll see you tomorrow. We start at 9 o'clock sharp."

Ahsoka nodded and left for her room. She'd complete her report tonight, if possible. That way, she could enjoy at least one part of the mission. The race didn't end in a way she preferred. But, tomorrow's plans seemed interesting enough to make up for her racing experiences. ▄

* * *

**Disclaimers:** Walt Disney Company owns all Star Wars characters & concepts. Kenner and D.I.C. Enterprises, Inc. appear to own M.A.S.K. Characters & concepts.


	5. Separate Journeys

**Chapter Five**

**Separate Journeys**

* * *

Ahsoka, Cara, and Nevada all walked together. The women spent the morning watching the inter-tribal pow-wow. They didn't realize that the dancers were not only judged based on their performance, but also by how well they danced and the story they shared with the audience. After that, Nevada showed them around. They had a chance to see the various hand-made items each tribe's members offered for sale. In addition, Nevada encouraged the women to sample the food.

"I'm very glad you could stay. I hope you enjoyed yourselves," Nevada said.

"A lot of my own people live tribally. I'd love to think they would live in a similar fashion. After all, you wear a sash of sorts, just like I do. And, some of your dancers wore those ornate headdresses. They just use feathers instead of animal's teeth," Ahsoka replied.

Nevada looked down at his own necklace. "Your own spirits must have blessed you, just as ours did when I made my own jewelry. Maybe someday, you'll see your people again."

Ahsoka took a deep breath, before she replied, "I'm afraid that's not possible. I fled a horrible war. Even if I could go back, I'd likely die."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Perhaps some day, you can come back here and visit my people. It may not be the same, but perhaps the experience would be similar," Nevada suggested.

"I'm not sure if I'll have the opportunity. But, thanks for the offer."

Cara also offered her gratitude. "Thanks, Chief. Even I learned some interesting facts today. I do have one last question. What will your tribes do with the money you raised?" she asked.

"The money will be split among the three tribes. We'll use it to help preserve our culture and heritage and pass it on to future generations."

Ahsoka's eyes widened. She had an idea. She removed the money from her pouch. "Nevada, let me donate this to your charity. I think you can put it to better use than I can," she said.

Before Nevada could react, Cara handed him two twenty dollar bills of her own. "Let me add to it so you have an amount divisible by three," she added.

"Thank you very much, both of you," Nevada replied, "your generosity is appreciated."

Duane spoke next. "On behalf of the PNA, thanks for your support. I'm sorry you came out here for nothing. But maybe your presence was enough of a deterrent for whomever sent those letters."

Ahsoka bowed. "I'm just glad there wasn't any trouble … well, any trouble that you couldn't handle," she replied.

Some of the MASK agents had already left. And, Ace was already searching for a fishing spot along the Rio Grande. So, Cara and Ahsoka shared good-byes with those that remained.

"Ahsoka, good luck with whatever you do," Gloria said. She opened her arms invitingly.

Ahsoka hugged Gloria. "Thanks again for everything. I appreciate what you did for me on this mission," she replied.

The two Jedi slowly left and made their way back to their transport.

* * *

As they returned home, Cara and Ahsoka spent the time quietly looking out the window. Ahsoka blinked her eyes. She was curious what her former master had to say about the trip. She wasn't sure how to approach the topic, though.

"Say, master, what did you think about my part in the mission?" she asked nervously.

"Well, I'm glad your part was largely successful, but I wondered if maybe you were a bit too reckless," Cara replied.

Ahsoka felt her head-tails twitch in horror. As she closed her eyes, she heard a voice echo in her head.

"_You're reckless, little one. You never would have made it as Obi-Wan's padawan... but you might make it as mine,"_ sounded in her mind. She closed her eyes tighter. She didn't make it as Anakin's padawan, though. He turned to the Dark Side and actually tried to kill her in the Jedi Temple. She felt lucky she somehow survived her ship's crash-landing even though she still found herself trying to acclimate to Earth life.

"Ahsoka? Are you okay?" Cara asked.

Ahsoka opened her eyes. "Sorry, master. The word 'reckless' triggered a flashback," she replied softly.

"Ahsoka, I'm sorry. I didn't know. You never told me about that before. But, I do question your eagerness. You should have taken time to better consider our unusual situation. Just maybe that would have kept you from your near-death experience."

"Master, it's okay. You were right to say what you did. I underestimated those masked villains. But, I've been through much worse before I ended up here," Ahsoka replied with a small smile.

"I'm glad you recognize that. You showed some maturity out there, too," Cara replied. She then turned to Ahsoka. "Something's still bothering you, though?" she asked.

"I had another nightmare a few days ago."

"Ahsoka, you know you can come talk to me about that."

"But you're not my master any more. I can't burden you with my problems. Not after all the good things you've done for me."

"It's not a burden, Ahsoka. I promised you that you could come talk to me about anything once you were knighted. And I meant it. Please come talk to me the next time you have one. I don't want you having to deal with that alone. We're sisters in the Force now."

"Alright, master." After a pause, Ahsoka asked, "So, how was your part of mission?"

"Aside from some minor misbehavior, quite boring. If I felt comfortable driving a motorcycle, I would have probably asked to trade with you. Maybe next time."

Ahsoka took a deep breath. "There won't be a next time. Both times I've raced vehicles, I've almost died. I'm smart enough to know not to press my luck any further. So just maybe you'll get your wish after all," she replied with a small grin.

"Did you sense anything odd at all?"

Ahsoka closed her eyes and pondered her master's question. "Not really. I thought I felt something at one point, but it was so small, it wasn't really noteworthy."

"Oh okay. Don't worry, Ahsoka. Despite my concerns about your decision-making, I know this was your first mission and you'll do better with more experience. So, be assured my report was largely positive."

"Thanks, master, I appreciate it."

* * *

Once Ahsoka and Cara returned home, they were given time to refresh themselves before making their initial reports. They were then dismissed with the promise of individual interviews sometime after dinner.

Ahsoka now walked through the halls. She had been summoned for her individual interview with the Grand Master. As a padawan, she usually had her master with her. It seemed weird to be interviewed alone for a change.

Upon arriving at her superior's office, he quickly greeted her.

"Knight Ahsoka, come on in and sit down."

"Should I close the door?" Ahsoka asked.

"No, it's not necessary. I'll try to keep this brief so you can have the rest of the night to yourself."

Ahsoka sat down across from his desk. He activated his datapad and retrieved her post-mission report.

"Master Cara didn't have much to report. I hope she wasn't too bored. Now, you – on the other hand – appeared to have a rather adventurous mission," he said.

Ahsoka nodded. "You can say that again."

"I see Master Cara did have concerns about your role. Would you like to comment on that?"

Ahsoka took a deep breath. "I wish I didn't require a rescue from one of our masked friends, but I did what I felt was necessary."

"So, if you had to do this over again, would you do it again?"

"Well, I'd still want to make sure the race wasn't sabotaged, but I've learned racing is something not in my Jedi future," Ahsoka replied.

The Grand Master chuckled. "I see you did learn from your mission after all, Ahsoka. In that case, I'm not worried. If you learn something from each mission, I foresee a bright future for you," he told her.

Ahsoka smiled and bowed. "Thanks, master," she answered. She suddenly looked at her superior curiously.

"What's wrong? Was it something I did?"

He sighed. He didn't want to bother one of his Jedi with a personal matter, but she did deserve and answer.

"It's not that. It's just I've been dealing with a personal issue ever since you left on your mission."

"What happened?"

He took another deep breath. Until now, Ahsoka never seemed this curious – except when learning about Earth life.

"I received a call from a friend. Well, at least I thought she was. Apparently, she disliked things about me I have no control over."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ahsoka replied. "Was it because you're a Jedi?" she asked.

"We never reached the point for me to tell her about that. I bet she would have freaked out had she learned that,"

Ahsoka nodded, unsure what to say.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine. I just have bad luck with women, I suppose – present company excluded of course."

Ahsoka grinned slightly. "Are you done reviewing my report?" she asked.

"Yes. You're dismissed," he replied. After a brief moment, he added, "And, thanks for letting me vent."

"Jedi are supposed to be there for each other," Ahsoka replied with a smile, mindful of her former master's comments earlier in the day. She then turned and left the Grand Master's office.

* * *

(A few days later.)

"You wish to see me?" Ahsoka asked the Grand Master.

"Yes. This package came in the mail. It's a gift for you," he replied.

Ahsoka took the package and opened it. Inside was a heavy blanket and a note. She opened the note and read it.

"Ahsoka, the PNA is indebted to you for your part in investigating the threats against the race. Also, the tribes wished to thank you for your donation to our charity. So please accept this gift as a token of our esteem. My people take pride in their crafts, so I hope you remember us whenever you use this. May the Spirits bless you with good fortune – 'Chief' Nevada Rushmore."

Ahsoka looked back to her superior. "Can I really accept this?" she asked.

"I'll admit, something more than a 'thank you' is the exception and not the rule. But, you can keep it. Master Cara received one, too. From what I've heard, everyone was impressed with how you two conducted yourselves."

"Thank you, Master," Ahsoka replied. "Are you doing better today?" she asked abruptly.

"A little, thanks. But I'm done here, so you're dismissed, if there's nothing else."

Ahsoka smiled, bowed, and then left for her own quarters.

* * *

Back in the southwest, a woman tinkered with a cylindrical device. After closing a small panel, she held it in her hand as if she was sizing and weighing it. She looked intently as she pressed a button. An evil grin appeared on her face as a long, crimson blade projected from the device. After making a few swings in the air, she extinguished what would be her first lightsaber.

"I wish I had this before the race. I could have acted on my threat. No matter, I **will **learn how to use this and exact my revenge someday. He'll regret the day he underestimated me," she said aloud before she left her work area.

* * *

**Public Service Announcement**

* * *

Lester walked into the living room. He still couldn't believe Miles let his VENOM agents spend time at his mansion in between races. Lester quickly spotted two familiar metal cylinders.

"Hey, it's Tano's flashlights. I should see how they work," he said out loud. He grabbed the lightsabers and looked at them curiously. Once he found the ignition buttons, he pressed them. The yellow and green beams of light took him by surprise. Although Lester struggled to keep them pointed upright, he tried to swing them.

"Hey, look at me, I'm a ninja," Lester told Bruno and Floyd, who heard the odd humming sound and entered the living room.

Suddenly, Lester nearly lost his grip. As he tried to keep his balance, the lightsabers sliced through an expensive couch and a priceless coffee table. As Lester tripped over the fragmented furniture, he dropped the lightsabers. They self-extinguished as they hit the ground.

Miles ran into the living room. Upon seeing the damaged furniture, he was furious.

"Sludge, what did you do here? Do you know how priceless those were? I had to pull the heist of a lifetime to get my hands on those!" he yelled.

"I'm sorry, boss. But I saw those flashlights and wanted to know why Sly was so scared of them," Lester replied truthfully.

"Lester, you never play with objects you're unfamiliar with. They could be weapons; and, you could hurt someone – or damage something with them."

"I guess you're right," Lester answered. He was about to say more, but he looked in shock as the lightsabers rose from the floor and flew toward the doorway.

Ahsoka reattached her lightsabers to her belt. As she patted them, she had one final message for the motley group that pursued her during the race.

"Sorry, boys. These aren't toys," she said before turning and walking away.

Everyone else looked on in confusion. How did she get there – and how did she make her weapons fly through the air without a mask? ▄

* * *

**Disclaimers:** Walt Disney Company owns all Star Wars characters & concepts. Kenner and D.I.C. Enterprises, Inc. appear to own M.A.S.K. Characters & concepts.

**Commentary:** It was interesting to write the first true crossover for _MASK_ & _Star Wars: The Clone Wars_. I can only hope I didn't disappoint. Please let me know what you thought. I do have a sequel in mind if this story was well-received.

I think it's safe to say nearly all the _MASK_ racing episodes provided some of the inspiration here. Still, I tried to include my own twist on events. I also thought including elements from my Star Wars series, _Ahsoka's Legacy_, might be interesting as well. I suppose the Mayhem brothers' subplot is loosely based off of the episode _High Noon_, but I wouldn't put it past Miles & Maximus to have their agents distract MASK while they went off and schemed something bigger away from the race course.

The reference to the (hopefully fictitious) album _Soaring Swiftness_ was my tribute to Brad's original vehicle, Condor. Also, after watching the episode _Homeward Bound_, I had to have Ali curious when he mistakes Ahsoka's name for "Ashoka" – the name of a woman from his native village.

I also wanted to address some shortcomings and recurring themes from _MASK_. Let's be honest, Billboard Blast and The Collector probably weren't the most powerful "vehicles" in the racing series. But with Dusty mentioning Billboard Blast could fly, I wanted to show that feature even if none of the episodes ever did. Likewise, I always wanted Alex to use the reel-to-reel tape in The Collector for some purpose. Also, I enjoyed the running gag that Pit Stop Catapult always gets destroyed whenever it's featured. Poor Rax.

I've always wondered what that odd, metallic-looking object is that Floyd has perched on his right shoulder. I never knew if it held his buckshot for his mask, if it served another purpose, or if it was just there for no reason. Should I write the sequel I have in mind, I plan to come up with a good use for it.

Interestingly, I learned that Brian George not only voiced Ali Bombay & Lester Sludge, but he also voiced Ki-Adi Mundi in _Star Wars: The Clone Wars_. Naturally, Ahsoka has to break the fourth wall and remark at how Lester's voice seems oddly familiar.

The race car prototype is loosely based off a toy race car (match box style) I still own. When _MASK_ was in its original run, I used to imagine it as either Firefly or Goliath I.

For those following this story from the Clone Wars perspective, I used this story to serve as Ahsoka's first mission that she mentions in the epilogue of my story, _To Survive Betrayal_. Given she is still relatively new to Earth, she still struggles with odd idiomatic expressions (as used by Dusty and Gloria in the story) and still struggles with flashbacks from her past. That said, she questions why people would find her own alien appearance odd when she finds the MASK & VENOM agents and their vehicles just as odd from her perspective.

Also, for those who have not read _To Survive Betrayal_, Master Cara is an OC who becomes Ahsoka's new master on Earth and helps her complete her padawan training. The Grand Master is an author surrogate. Who is the unknown woman at the end of this chapter? Time will tell should I develop my _Ahsoka's Legacy_ series as far out as I'd like.

And of course, no story involving MASK would be complete without a public service announcement.


End file.
